David and Vivian woke up with the first rays of dawn. They joined Alice and Martin who were already tucking into a small breakfast. They didn't eat quite as much, if it kept going this way, they might have to make their rations last a week. The lich had put up plenty of barriers so they might have to go through more of the same again lower down in the lair. They secured their blankets food and water.

Martin gripped his holy symbol and lead them back to the lich's lair. Nothing had changed above ground, but they found a few necro mine spells had been reinstated. Someone was trying to rebuild the defences after they had retreated. The mines were detected by Alice and easily dealt with, but it was still a surprise. It showed them that someone was still active and not abandoned the place.

The barrier spells that they had broken the previous day had been partially reactivated. One simple layer of a barrier spell that shattered against Martins holy symbol. He didn't even need to use his purify blessing. A simple kick was all that was needed to destroy the spell alter set up to maintain the barrier spell. As they went back through the foundry and the mine a dozen spectres attacked them.

They were easily beaten back with simple fire spells, Martins holy symbol or magic weapons. The focus stones that bound them to the mortal world were found and destroyed. Another little present left for them. In the room with the crystal someone had piled up timber attempting to construct a barricade. It was half finished with no defenders but still someone had put it up.

Going deeper they found what might have been described as a servant’s quarters. A place for the living amongst the dead. A little cooking stove several desks provisions. There were four bedrooms one a double bed with the paraphernalia of a couple and three smaller rooms perhaps relatives or children. There was one room that must have been for a child, but it was off. Skeletal puppets a toy patchwork zombie made form felt and other toys that were somewhat off.

Martin found a small diary, in a child's scrawl something about grandma creating friends for him when he was lonely. They had left, the people hear had packed up and moved deeper into the lair. Servants of the lich moving away from those attacking their home.

They journeyed on there was a large room cut out from the rock, it looked to be half completed, it contained some considerable degree of resistance. There were four bone golems of bulky construction fortified with auras of necromantic energy. Behind them were 12 archers stationed behind a crude wooden barricade. Four figures robed in necromantic energy stood on either side. The basic skeleton mages were not sentient but could repeat one elemental spell protected by the conjured robes and armed with conjured staves. They could throw a certain number of spells before they ran out and retreated.

A gauntlet had been thrown down Martin activated his blessing “thy will be done”. It granted him insight into his opponents. He drew the blessed pistol the lion hearts hammer took aim at one golem and fired with a mithril bullet. It penetrated the golem and hit the hidden physical focus that maintained the spell. Down the golem crashed the spells holding it together unravelled as the lynch pin of its continued existence was blasted apart.

Vivian sent a power shot into one of the golems knee joints doing it a lot of damage, the construct started to lumber forwards. David hurled a flask of oil at the back line of archers then charged forwards and ducked under one golems swing only to smash his blade into its ankle. Alice cast elemental shield and physical shield on herself.

The golems lumbered forwards towards the party members two skeleton mages started to throw fire bite spells two started to throw shock bolt spells, the skeletal archers opened up fire. Alice threw a fire ball spell at the archers which ignited the oil and blasted four of them to pieces. Vivian ducked behind Alice and her shield spell to avoid several fire bites and arrows. She answered with two power shots one demolishing a skeletal mage, the second cracking the knee join of a skeleton golem.

Martin blocked one shock bolt spell with his holy symbol, the second hit and hurt. He had his four barrelled pistol at the ready. Four focus shots and there were four less archers. David cut away at the foot of the bone golem until there was a crack and it stumbled, crashing into the floor falling onto one knee, then he switched to attacking the knee joint.

Vivian hit the golem again in the knee, it cracked and shattered not having enough material left to hold it up. It crashed to the ground and started to crawl forwards; her opponent disabled she switched her target firing at the spell casters. She demolished one with a power shot to the chest. Alice used an icy tomb spell on the golem slowing it down and keeping it in place.

Martin drew his last two pistols and fired two more of the archers crumbled as lead tore through their bones. Alice threw a fire ball at the closest skeleton mage blasting it to pieces. Vivian finished off the last two archers and David got the last spell caster before switching back to the golems. The golems were damaged and slowed losing their legs and their ability to effectively manoeuvre. Acid strike spells pistol balls swords and mithril arrows focused on and overwhelmed the opponents. One by one until the last golem collapsed under a barrage of acid strikes from Alice.

Their eyes glowed and the level up hit. Alice reached level 73 making her kinetic strike spell increase to the grand version. David reached level 69 raising his protect allies skill up to level 4. Vivian reached level 71 and got the first rank of the improved range skill the further back the better as far as she was concerned. Martin hit level 80 a class level; power flowed through him. It was a very utilitarian set of blessings. Another use of cleanse earth air and water another use of divine favour another use of purge soul and two more uses of the purge mind blessings.

They dragged the skeletons remains back to the servant’s quarters using a cart from the mine to speed the process up. They stuffed the bones in the hearth and set light to it all. After they had taken some stocks of food from the room. It took them a few hours to dismantle the remains but the prevailing logic to clear the path in front of them and leave nothing behind for the lich continued.

Following the path along they came to a second large unfinished gallery. It seemed to be prepared for something. There was a wooden frame under construction as if they were planning to build some giant bone golem down hear away from prying eyes. It had not gotten further than a wooden support frame. There was a necromancer in black robes, he had hastily put on an iron chest plate over his robes to give him a little protection. He carried a black stave made from two twisted intertwined roots tipped with a purple crystal.

He had cast a shield of purple energy over himself. He had 20 undead knights about him their rusted armour heavily reinforced. There were six quite well preserved zombified ghouls. There were two full blooded vampires acting as bodyguards one with a two-handed axe the second with a mace and shield. Behind them were two blood thralls carrying spears, the vampires looked to the necromancer waiting for orders. Alice looked at the necromancer sensing his power, “a grand master I believe”.

He spoke in a hoarse voice, “stop go no further how dare you invade my home. Go back to north port you have made your point, we will leave your forestry operations alone”. Vivian spoke up as David and Martin slowly moved forwards. “It’s not so simple we accepted a contract, and a contract is our word. it is our reputation”. His eyes narrowed, “So mercenaries we can pay you to turn around and leave this place. It would be far better for you to go than to risk what lies ahead”. Vivian dismissed him, “you’re not the master of this place a servant at best”. “I am more closely connected with the master of this place than you could understand, I speak with all the authority I need”.

Martin took another step towards him, “if you attack us further you will incur the wrath of the king of bones”. Martin looked slightly puzzled, “is-ant this the Empress of shadows land. Should you not be bowing and scraping in her name”. The necromancer lost his temper, “we are loyal to our patron the king of bones, we have an agreement with the Empresses agents but need no more”. Alice nodded, “so you have been … providing the empress of shadows … archanists with necromantic power sources … yes”. He was momentarily stunned, “how did you know, that”! Alice stated casually, “We already … destroyed one”. The necromancer looked worried, “that makes you the … oh”.

There must have been some communication between the vampire courts and their minions, as the necromancer seemed to recognise the party by reputation. The two vampires immediately started to flank to the sides. The necromancer threw a bolt of purple energy at Martin the ranks of skeleton knights and zombified ghouls started to advance.

Martin blocked the necro bolt with his holy symbol and threw a medium sized thermite grenade at the group of skeleton knights. They sustained some damage but were not significantly weakened as the necromancer had enhanced them with various fortifying spells. Alice hurled two fire balls into the ranks of skeleton knights. This did a bit more damage than the thermite, but they were still very well protected.

The vampire on the right flank burnt through the blood in his veins to speed up his body, closing in on David in an instant. His axe strike was blocked by David's shield knocking the axe away. The grey sword tasted blood cutting right through the vampire’s defences. The vampire was strong and fast and very durable but then David was encased in layers of armour with almost no weakness in his physical defence. Vivian put two mithril arrows into the second advancing vampire. One travelled right through its shoulder the second pierced its shield and body pinning it in place. The vampire pulled the arrow out and licked the blood off the tip.

The necromancer clicked his fingers, in unison the ten skeleton knights in the front rank threw their spears and reached back as the second rank handed them their spears. Two spears hit Martin doing a little damage. Most of them bounced off Alice's hastily cast shield spell, Vivian dodged the last one. The zombie ghouls had a necromantic version of their immolating breath three targeted David who used the vampire attacking him as a shield to soak up the attack. Not that the magic goo had much effect on a vampire. The three targeting Vivian missed the range was to grate. One blood thrall threw a globe of poison at Martin doing almost nothing, other than partial obscuring his vision.

Martin used his four barrelled pistol loaded with silver shot on two of the ghouls. Two barrels per ghoul with a divine retribution blessing thrown in removed them from the battlefield. David had a bad match up with the vampire, but he simply had better equipment than the monster. He cut into the vampire again and again opening up the shoulder the chest. David's blade ran along the shaft of the axe cutting off two of the vampire’s fingers.

They fell to the ground and crumbled to dust, the vampire shrugged and swapped his grip to the other hand. Vivian put two octium arrows through the vampire head and heart power shots. It tried its hardest to pull the arrow out of its heart stumbled then collapsed to the ground. Its body crumbled leaving a pair of fangs and dust on the floor. Alice targeted the group of three ghouls on the right and loosed her duel cast fire balls, the ghouls were blasted apart.

The necromancer swallowed seeing one of his best troops cut down. He acted as best he could the front rank of skeleton knights threw their spears drew their swords and charted forwards. The necromancer threw a necro sphere spell, but Martin intercepted it with an octium throwing knife prematurely and harmlessly detonating the spell. Alice's shield spell stopped the spears and Vivian dogged the one that missed Alice and kept going. David knocked the vampire on their back shattered the haft of there axe, then cut until the vampire crumbled to dust. Martin drew the lion hears hammer and finished off the last zombie ghoul blasting its head clean off.

Vivian targeted the undead knights with octium arrows, already weakened with thermite and magical fire the first three she hit crumbled. Alice used a poison gas cloud spell over the necromancer his shield spell protected him, but the blood thralls were not and soon collapsed. The necromancer could not see what was going on from the cloud. Martin with his poison resistance was unaffected. The necromancer shouted out from behind the rank of skeleton knights, “mage you are pathetic a necromancer is far more powerful, you can’t even breach my defences”.

Alice didn't follow his goading and targeted his minions instead. Two fire balls slammed into the skeleton knights advancing on her. Blasting four of them to pieces the necromancer’s strength was his minions so she targeted them. Vivian used her octium arrows to remove the last three attackers then got ready to tackle the necromancer’s guards. Martin threw both of his Tesla grenades at the right-hand side of the defending knights then jumped in grappling a knight holding his holy symbol to its forehead unravelling the spell that held it together. David waited a second longer for the poison gas cloud spell to dissipate, then the was in the ranks of the necromancer’s troops tearing them apart. The necromancer recast his barrier spell.

Alice shouted to Martin and David. “he is mine lets … see who's magics better”. The necromancer laughed, “your shield spells are not suited to stopping my magic”. Alice shook her head sending a continuous stream of acid strike spell then a fire bite spell at the grand master necromancer. “Your shield spells ... are not that strong, you … have to maintain an energy shield … to stop the fire bite and a physical shield … to stop the conjured acid. I can keep firing these … until you give up and die. I can maintain more active spells … because I don't have to babysit a bunch of useless minions”.

The necromancer was used to having a block of his own creations between him and his target. Being able to leisurely throw his spells with minion support. He could feel sweat dripping off his brows at the effort of simply blocking the attacks.

The necromancer tried desperately to fight back giving up on his shielding and casting a necro sphere spell. Alice threw an acid strike at the same time. The necro sphere spell hit her. Alice was hit with the sphere of rippling purple death magic, but stepped out of it, ethereal purple flames clinging to her. The necromancer was hit in the chest, his armour ribs and lungs burnt away, he collapsed to the ground gasping for breath. Alice advanced on him, “my spell resistance … is twice as high as yours and I already … fortified myself with a Master level bonus vitality spell. I could survive such an encounter … and you couldn't” the necromancer slumped to the ground his blackened staff withered away; it was somehow connected to his life force.

The level up hit their eyes glowed white. The group all gained a level apart from Alice who gained two reaching grand master status herself. Alice improved her kinetic strike spell to master status. David hit level 70 and gained the same class level Vivian previously had. Vivian reaching level 72 got the second rank in her improved range skill. Martin reached level 81 pushing his grenadier skill up to level 11 improving his throwing accuracy.

Alice let out a little sigh. “what a wasted opportunity, he … would have been a perfect opponent for a feat of … martial strength.” Alice healed Martin as he patted her on the shoulder “we will find other opponents”. They made their preparations burning the remains recovering arrows. Martin collected the vampire’s fangs to get a bounty on later. They even cremated the necromancer's remains with a short prayer said by Martin for his soul. There was a corridor with a side room two beds two coffins and a few items, the vampires and their servants had been there, they moved on finding nothing useful.

They entered the lich's place of power. It was lit with dozens of spirit lanterns, it was a facsimile of a throne room with the lich resting on a crude thrown of bone and black stone. A grey and purple aura surrounded her bones. It was much greyer than the first lich they had encountered, probably indicating that this one was far more powerful. A spectral projection of flesh and skin hugged the bones. Showing a matronly grandmother in an old lose fitting purple dress. She had a staff much like the necromancer they had encountered earlier, but it looked far older. She had various pieces of jewellery enchanted with necromantic energy.

There were three of the lich's acolytes or apprentice necromancers hiding behind the throne. One was but a child of ten, yet still dressed in the purple robes of a necromancer. One was a boy around 14 and the third was a girl of about sixteen, they all had similar starves. She had a bunch of skeleton mages and knights surrounding and protecting her as well as a strong barrier spell.

“You have come to my home and threatened my family, you will die slowly”. Vivian queried her, “your family who was that necromancer to you”? “in life my son, what did you do to him”. “What do you think we did”. “For that I will kill you, where is his body”? Her voice was still surprisingly level and calm. Martin grinned, “we cremated it already”. Her voice became filled with rage and regret, “you what! why did I let him try to reason with you, now I can’t bring him back easily. I will trap your souls and play with them for a thousand years, your suffering will be unimaginable”.

The necromancer used her supreme spell bone guard, a platoon of skeleton knights with blackened bones and enchanted weapons rose out of the ground in front of the party. There were eight skeleton mages split into two groups of three on either side of the lich. A group of fifty skeleton knights stood between the group and the lich. The party had planned for such an encounter well in advance. Martin threw two large thermite grenades one at each group of skeleton mages, a wash of molten metal swept them away before they could fire one spell off. David hurled two flasks of oil over the front ranks of skeleton knights and Alice lit them up with a duel cast fire ball.

This was mostly a distraction the lich didn't notice Vivian until it was too late. Two power shots form her bow released octium arrows shattering her spell shield. Then an adamantine tipped arrow struck her in the shoulder removing her arm and separating her from her staff. The lich screeched in surprise and dived down to recover her staff.

Martin activate his blessing “litany of blessings” which activated every defensive ability on him at once. He called forth a pillar of fire and sent it hurtling through the armoured skeletons ranks. The black guard skeleton knights were a bit tougher but not that much more. David charged into the thickest part of the skeleton knights a living battering ram, doing more disruption than damage he was out of the lich's firing range her own troops between her and him. Alice launched her acid strike spell and more fire balls at the skeleton knights, whittling down their numbers. Vivian used her Damascus and mithril arrows to start picking apart the edges of the formation of the knights. Her shots passed through the first row and lodged into the second row.

The lich reconnected her arm and raised her staff recasting her shield spell. She had lost all her skeleton mages and at least 20 of her skeleton knights. She banged her staff on the ground and four fortification beacons grew from the floor of the room her last trump card. Martin threw two octium throwing daggers shattering two of the far weaker crystal beckons. Vivian got the other two with octium arrows before the undead in the room even got a rest bite.

David continued to barrage into the undead knights keeping their formation in disarray swing with his shield acting as a wrecking ball on two legs. If the knights were led by something that could coordinate them, it would have been a different matter. But the skeletal marshal had been obliterated two days ago. Alice kept the lich busy with a few fire balls, not that good against her shield spell but every bit helped.

The lich was over level 120 but the vast majority of that power relied on having minions to use and she was running out. At every opportunity this party had destroyed every raw material, even down to the bone spiders and zombie donkeys that pulled the mine carts. The spells she had packed a punch, against the vampire hunter they would be useless. Against the mage less effective she was shielded, the archer was far enough back to dip behind the mage for protection and the sword fighter would be impossible to hit screened by her own minions.

The lich had about 20 knights left she hoped that they would buy her time. “necromantic vapour life leach spring, land of death”. The air filled with choking purple mist the ground became black and odd purple water began to spring up in the centre of the room. Martin reacted “cleanse air cleanse earth cleanse water”. All spells countered the group continued to rip through her knights.

Vivian shattered the lich's shield with another octium arrow then hit the lich twice with adamantine arrows. One through the rib cage and one through the head. Alice evaporated a couple of knights with her acid strike spells melting them away. David kept cutting blocking and pushing keeping the knights from forming a coherent strategy. Martin had used up most of his area effect blessings. He depleted his combat focused blessings like, pillar of salt, wrath of the almighty and smite. The number of knights was down to ten and dwindling fast. The lich pulled the arrow from her head and tried to cast against the attackers, Martin blocked the attack with his holy symbol.

The last of the knights crumbled under Martins pistol and they faced off against the lich she checked the children behind her. “Remember this moment, let them flee they are only children”. Martin was clear, “no they are necromancers”. A look of fear for her family crossed her face, “let them live”. Martin looked at her “I make no promises chain smite”. Alice threw fire ball after fire ball Vivian shot all her arrows the lich's body collapsed and David smashed it to pulp. Cutting her staff in half. The group looked around the room Alice started to search for the lich's phylactery while Martin David and Vivian regarded the lich's grandchildren.

They had dropped their starves to the floor a gesture of surrender. The youngest boy was holding a reanimated crow as a pet close to him he was crying. The oldest girl not much younger than Alice was starting to hyperventilate, she seemed to be about to faint from a panic attack. The boy of 14 was holding something under his robe he seemed nervous his eyes darting about for something.

Martin questioned them, “tell us where the phylactery is, and we might be able to help you”. The girl shook her head. Martin took a step towards the small boy. His older sister almost cracked there and then. But she had the hope that this situation could be turned round, if the lich could put themselves back together. However, the older boy was very stupid.

Vivian stepped closer to the boy, “what do you have”? The boy pulled a knife with a blade coated with some black toxin from his robe. He tried to stab Vivian in the face. She pushed him back with all her strength. He flew back and struck a wall is head snapping forward, he folded dropping the dagger and sliding back down to the floor, leaving a trail of crimson blood behind splattered on the wall.

The girl screamed and threw a necro bolt spell at Vivian. The girl was a strong enough necromancer that the spell hurt but didn't kill Vivian. David reacted in the blink of an eye his sword was out of its sheath and its tip buried in the girl’s heart. She folded and dropped her eyes cold and dead. Martin was hit around the face by a tiny bolt of necromantic energy from the small boy. He pointed his finger and the raven went for Martin. Martin caught the raven in his hand putting his holy symbol to it the raven, it exploded in a puff of smoke and black feathers.

Martin healed Vivian with divine favour, then grabbed the child and held him up, as he cast one weak spell after another at Martin. Finally running out of mana and hanging limply from the effects of mana fatigue. Martin held out a dagger looked at it then looked at the sobbing child. He looked at the other two dead siblings on the floor. Vivian looked away from David. Martin's voice came low “I can’t do it, I probably should but I can’t. A bit older than my kids were but not by that much”.

Alice looked at the two dead children on the floor she swallowed any regret, “once a necromancer always … a necromancer, it’s not like we … know a way to remove their magic”. Martin thought about it as they pulled down a hidden bit of wall to reveal a phylactery. It was destroyed minutes later. Causing more tears to emanate from the small child, as he realised his grandmother was gone for good.

The level up hit everyone but Alice who needed to have a breakthrough. Martin hit level 83 and put two points into his grenadier skill. Vivian reached level 74 and raised her improved range skill up to rank 4. David reached level 72 gaining a skill called contract bonds it made him a more efficient fighter. When focusing in on the target of a bounty contract or extermination quest. That little bit of focus and extra damage would add to his long list of skills. David took quite a long look into the hidey hole for the lich's phylactery. There were quite a few extra bits in there that would make a tidy profit.

“What do we do about the kid”? Vivian wondered, Martin was guessing “the church might be able to do something about the necromancy, a religious job would remove his ability to use mana. No mana no necromancy”. “They could force a job on him”? Vivian questioned, “I think so, I will have to speak to the bishop better than slitting his throat hear”.

She looked about, “what about his siblings”. “We take them back we give them last rights, I don't want to see the spirits of those kids, so we make sure they rest in peace”. “Shouldn't we have done that with the blood thralls, and the kids’ father that grand master necromancer”. “Yes, but I didn't want to risk it a high-level body can become a powerful tool for a lich so we acted quickly” said Martin.

They assembled a pile of bones in the centre of the room to burn as a last farewell. Martin destroyed the necromancers spirit lanterns extinguishing them one by one with his holy symbol. The lich's hoard was examined, a bar of mithril something worth keeping. There was some silver bars worth taking, coins and jewellery also worth taking. A volume of the book of blood oath would be returned to the church for study. Several scrolls on necromancy and vampire magic that would be promptly burnt.

The same thing happened with a few dozen books of necromancy that seemed to be bound in human skin. There were around 90 crystals containing spirits and 10 larger crystals containing souls, physical components to be used in the creation of more undead, Martins holy symbol flashed, and they were destroyed. There was a key made from octium or adamantine, maybe an alloy of the two. It was quite heavily enchanted and nearly a foot long. It had slots in the back so perhaps it was part of a larger key, Alice felt something important about it and held onto it.

There were a dozen low level items with minor enchantments like + 2 armour and + 1 perception, they would sell them to the mages or the merchants. There was a wand of fire balls it might be good but then Alice was pretty good at that spell already. There were several items enchanted with necromancy or sorcerers magic, they were destroyed. There was a half-built phylactery probably a back-up it was also destroyed dissolved with acid strikes.

There were a handful of actually good items. There was a major ring of armour that was passed to Alice to replace her minor ring of armour it added + 10 armour to her abilities. They would sell the other one back to the mage’s guild. There was a greater sprinters ring with bonuses to + 2 agility + 20 reserve of adrenalin that was designed to help a fighter manoeuvre around it was better suited to David so he could use it. The last useful item was a Greater belt of health it went to Vivian with a bonus of + 45 health. The old one was almost going to be given to Alice, but its effect was so weak compared to her bonus vitality spell they decided to sell it instead.

The last few items were some octium crossbow bolts very fine but they didn't have a crossbow so they would sell them. There was a mages staff for an exalted master, but it had been enhanced with necromancer, so they had to destroy it. It was thrown onto the pyre to burn. There was a large bag of drugs red sand probably to trade with the thieves guild they burnt that as well. Their business concluded they used a cart to take the remains and the various loot including a few good weapons.

They ignited the pile of corpses and left Martin carrying the kid. It was a long slow march back to town. No one wanted to stay around to see if the spirit of that grand master necromancer or the blood thralls would be haunting them. It was a slog to walk all night, but they really didn't want to have to look after the child a minute more than was necessary. So on threw the night they went torches burning, they would have a long sleep the next day. Vivian scouted to one side, a little bit of blue powder and she was better for the long journey.